• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Prince 3-pointers lift Pistons over Grizzlies

Mar 4, 2007 - 6:20 AM MEMPHIS, Tennessee (Ticker) -- The Detroit Pistons are loaded with All-Stars, but it was Tayshaun Prince who supplied the deadly daggers against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Prince scored 10 of his 17 points down the stretch, including two 3-pointers, as the Pistons rallied for a 92-89 victory over the lowly Memphis Grizzlies.

Chauncey Billups had 19 points and nine assists for Detroit, which was coming off a tough loss at Miami on Friday but had just enough to record a 12th win in 14 games.

"We basically just hung in there the whole game," Detroit coach Flip Saunders said. "We stuck in it and didn't get too frustrated."

Prince was quiet for most of the game, but his 3-pointer from the left corner with 4:20 left tied the contest, 82-82. Antonio McDyess then made a big play for Detroit, blocking a lefthanded hook by Pau Gasol, which resulted in a fast-break acrobatic layup by Rip Hamilton - his only basket of the second half 32 seconds later.

Hamilton was coming down the left side but had to pull up and toss in a righthanded shot over the outstretched arms of Mike Miller while fading to his left for an 84-82 lead.

"Rip made a nice adjustment in the air to convert that shot," Billups said. "But that's what we come to expect from him."

McDyess had five points and four rebounds in the fourth period and finished with five blocks in 30 minutes.

With 77 ticks to play and the shot clock running down, Prince heaved a fallaway 3-pointer from the left wing that miraculously went down for a 90-84 lead.

"Whenever you hit a shot like that, you find some kind of rhythm," Prince said. "I just wanted to hit the rim for a rebound. When it was halfway there, I knew it was good."

After Miller scored on a layup for Memphis, Prince hit a jumper in the face of Rudy Gay from the left wing for a 92-86 lead with 48 seconds left. Prince finished 7-of-12 from the floor and added six rebounds.

Damon Stoudamire hit a 3-pointer 13 ticks later for Memphis and after Chris Webber missed a runner in the lane, the Grizzlies had two chances to tie. But Gay shot an airball from the left corner with 3.3 seconds left and, after a jump ball, Miller had his shot from the right corner bounce off the rim as time expired.

"Coach drew up a great play, and I got a good shot," Miller said. "I just missed it. I had to dribble back and the shot was a little long."

Miller scored 24 points and Gasol added 22 and 15 rebounds for Memphis (15-46), which has dropped seven of its last eight games.

"I have no problem with our effort tonight," Memphis interim coach Tony Barone said. "The problem is that you can't win games because you play hard. It doesn't work that way in this league. You have to find a way to win. Tayshaun hit that ridiculous shot. ... They found a way to win."

Memphis overcame 39 percent shooting (32-of-82) but pounding the offensive glass for 20 rebounds. Lawrence Roberts, who scored just two points, hauled in six offensive rebounds.

"They're a rock-solid defensive team. They're physical," Barone said. "You'd like to get easy baskets, but the strength of their perimeter people, Prince and Chauncey, they get back."

Behind 17 points and seven assists from guards Billups and Hamilton, Detroit had a 28-23 edge after the first period, and took its biggest lead of the night, 40-32, on Webber's short jumper with seven minutes left in the half.

"We stayed poised," Billups said. "We had a great first quarter. It went back and forth the rest of the night."

Memphis rallied late in the half, and Miller scored nine points in the final 3 1/2 minutes to take a 49-49 tie into the locker room.

Detroit forward Rasheed Wallace missed his second straight game with a sprained foot.